Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
they're visually appealing. Figure 12-2 shows a before
and after, and the finished logo here is only one of
scores of possible variations. Because they're vector
shapes, you can arrange and rearrange elements to your
liking—and your client's—in seconds with Xara.
Tracing a Photograph
If a photo features an object with sharp contrasting edges and
relatively simple geometry—say, a potted plant or a candlestick
(a human portrait is out of the question)—you can do some
amazing stuff by auto-tracing it. The Bitmap Tracer truly excels
at replicating photographs of objects, as the next sections will
demonstrate. Remember: An object made of vector shapes can
be scaled and distorted ad infinitum and never loses crisp edges
when printed or exported as a bitmap.
Here is the concept: The Adirondack chair would be an
interesting piece of geometry in a composition not once, but
several times. The composition would be even more interesting
if each chair had a unique variation on the original—a small
one, a fat one, and so on. To pull this off, you need a vacant
background of a lawn, provided in lawn.xar, and just a little
time prepping Chair.jpg so Bitmap Tracer can easily create
vectors of only the area of the bitmap you need.
F IGURE 12-2
With Xara, you can
promise the world to a client. And
deliver it.
X marks the spot.xar is the finished tutorial file for your perusal.
Hand-Trace Diffuse, Unimportant Areas
The shadow the chair casts is visually important; however, you
don't need to ask Bitmap Tracer to sketch it for you. There are
scores of different-colored blades of grass, and you really don't
need all those objects—you just need an approximation of the
outline of the shadow. A key to illustrating photorealistically
and at the same time quickly, is to remember that audiences
don't make note of the accuracy of a shadow; they only detect
something phony if a shadow isn't present but should be.
Follow these steps to manually trace a serviceable shadow for
the finished composition:
1.
Import Chair.jpg to a new page.
 
 
 
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